The present invention relates to a new sending and receiving station functioning under the principal known as "vacuum-pressure" for a pneumatic transporting system.
It is well known to utilize a receiving or sending station in a branch of a principal transporting line locating it for example, on a branch controlled by a sealing valve. It is also known that such an arrangement utilizes the known principle of vacuum-pressure meaning that an arriving container arrives at the station because of a high pressure in the principle line and, inversely, that the container leaves the station by being subjected to an aspiration (the derivation is "in vacuum") occurring in the principle line.
Applicant's French Patent No. 2,110,537 discloses a sending and receiving station for containers having a container carrying magazine of rectangular form disposed beside the vertical terminal section of a branch line, the magazine rotating at the time of sending of the container around a horizontal axis so that the container can be drawn upwardly when one of its extremities engage in the section of the line. The vacuum created upstream during sending causes the rotation of the magazine while the magazine remains vertical during receiving, the containers can then leave the station by a vertical terminal section of the branch of the line which is closed at its lower end by a valve.
This arrangement of rotating magazine has certain disadvantages in operation essentially due to the fact that on sending the container frequently catches on the edge of the upstream line and losses of air in this area sometimes prevent rotary movement of the magazine.
In applicant's French Patent No. 2,225,366 another station is described which utilizes the decrease of pressure in the station during sending to cause rotation of the tube utilizing a piston at the base of the tube connected in the direction of rotation of the tube and there is a decrease of pressure in the tightly closed enclosure. A series of small rods transmits the movement of the piston to the tube.
This station is relatively large and costly because of the mechanical connections (rods *** positioning of the piston) and this has caused applicant to invent the present novel vacuum-pressure sending station based on an entirely different principle while utilizing the known principle of the lowering of pressure created in the tube during sending as the motor element for pivoting the tube.